The Untold Story
by Kagha
Summary: Mata Nui is in a time a peace, but matters as less than ideal as three of the Toa Nuva struggle with the bonds of romance. TahuxGali vs KopakaxGali. Orig. start date: 3/8/08
1. First Instalment

Tahu Nuva stood in the icy slopes of Ko-Wahi, buried up to his knees in compact snow, with thin layers of ice slowly forming on his shoulder pads. Never had the Toa of Fire felt so agitated as now, as an icy wind swept without warning across the ground and kicked up eddies of snow into his face. Feeling anger well up inside of him, he must have subconsciously let off an elemental heat, for the snow on his face instantly melted and the frosty fluff around his legs began to slag and soften. 

Tahu rose his Magma Sword into the air, but then a drastic wind slammed into his arm and almost smashed the side of the blade into his mask with enough force to knock him out. Once again cursing the impossible weathers of these mountains, he averted his torso and then gouged his sword into the dense snow. It dug in and stuck there, and he felt an icy wind billowing through the outer layers of his armor.  
>"It's no wonder…" Tahu grumbled angrily, despite having his voice lost over the howling wind, "I dislike Kopaka so much…" <p>

Clenching his teeth, Tahu summoned upon the power of his Kanohi Hau, Mask of Shielding, erecting a transparent sphere of force around himself. The howls of wind that replicated the sounds of a demented Rahi's scream ceased abruptly, cut off from the shield of force, and the pressure that once battered against him was gone. The hellish winds smashed against the shield and then detoured around it, and Tahu watched crystals of flying snow reflect off of it. 

Tahu sighed, thankful to get away from the devastating weather, if at least temporarily. He still despised the idea of climbing these treacherous mountains, especially since now was supposed to be a time of celebration. Not more than a while ago, he remembered fighting the Bahrag and then suddenly knocking out … only to reemerge as a powerful Toa Nuva. That was a time of pride and great relief, but then a new threat, called the Bohrok-Kal, had awoken and stolen the Toa's Nuva Symbols, great symbols of power that were essential if the Toa were to wield their elements. Of course, in the end, the Toa had overcome this threat. But all of them knew they couldn't have made it without the wisdom of Toa Gali. Now was a time of great celebration, and the Turaga would be doing just that by holding a major Kolhii Tournament. Of course, that wasn't until next drift. Now, the Nuva had free time to spend how they pleased, which was very rare. 

_Gali…_ Tahu thought, as he rested in the cold snow under his force field. _The Toa of Water._  
>He remembered when he'd first met her, just at the foothills of these icy mountains, near the Mangai volcano. He'd met Onua first, who would've clawed a nice wound into the side of his head had the Earth Toa not caught himself, and then… Tahu could never forget that day. That was the day he had first seen Gali, and when the beautiful Toa of Water had captured his heart. He could never forget the sensation he'd felt when first laid eyes on her, and the jealousy when he saw Lewa accompanying her. Of course, as he got to know her, he brushed this off as a foolish crush, and got more relaxed in her presence. He'd never felt that way when he'd seen her again after that day.<br>Tahu let his thoughts drift off to after they became Toa Nuva. He'd bickered with Gali and the others, and part ways with them, only to realize what a daft mistake that was. Now, he knew, that to stay united with the others was best. But there was more to it … a yearning to be closer to her, to Gali. 

Tahu's reverie was interrupted by the a sudden, dull tapping sound on the outside of the force shield. The Toa of Fire turned around to see Kopaka on the other side of the streaking purple lines of energy contouring the force field; Ice Shield held over the Ice Toa's forearm. Tahu also noticed another thing: the wind and snow had stopped outside. Courtesy, he guessed, of Kopaka's powers over winter. 

Tahu dismissed the force field and stood. He also noticed the amount of snow on the ground had decreased. "Never thought I'd be happy to see you." Tahu grumbled. "I appreciate your help – thought I was going to freeze over in this weather."  
>"You're in no position to climb this mountain," Kopaka said tersely. "Not even the Ko-Matoran dare venture to this part of Ko-Wahi. And I was just doing my job; if I had not come to help, you would have died." <p>

"Very blunt of you to say," Tahu replied gruffly. "Vakama sent me up here. You wouldn't think he'd be trying to kill you, do you?" 

"I cannot see why not," Kopaka said almost too quiet for Tahu to hear. But the Fire Toa did. Just as Tahu was about to spit out an angry retort, Kopaka said, "You were in a dazzled state in your rest, brother… you looked as if you were daydreaming." Kopaka said as he strapped the shield to his back. "Hard to do in a blizzard like this. You must have been heavily distracted by something." 

Tahu flustered, remembering he was thinking about Gali. "It was- nothing in particular, no." He said, forgetting his anger by the embarrassed feeling Kopaka's comment had aroused. Then he gestured with one of his Magma Swords to a tall cliff less than a kio in the distance. "That is where I was headed. Vakama told me I would find something… mysterious there. Worth a look." 

"Worth your life?" Kopaka remarked. 

Ignoring the comment, Tahu asked, "So what are _you_ doing out here?" 

"I am to meet Gali by the peak." Kopaka answered. "Why?" 

Tahu felt fire rouse in his veins. "G-Gali?" He stuttered. Kopaka gave him an odd glance, then said,

"Yes. I am to be there by dawn. Why?" 

"It- it's nothing. Sorry." Tahu said. 

Kopaka flinched, and Tahu knew why. He had just apologized. _Him._ And to Kopaka, especially. Tahu felt so humiliated right now he could peel off his mask and melt it into slag. 

"Well then, I will be headed off. I have secured the weather for you so you don't end up in any fatal accidents." Kopaka said, then threw his shield onto the snow, hopped onto it, and surfed away by the force of raging, moving snow jets created by his elemental power. He disappeared around the slopes of the mountain almost instantly. 

Tahu watched him go, and then looked back to the cliff that was his destination. He felt something jerking in his gut, some kind of feeling that kicked in the back of his mind. It told him to follow Kopaka, to go to Gali… it was a feeling of … jealousy. 

He found an inner debate raging against the fringes of his mind. Should he continue his quest… or follow Kopaka? Ultimately, he found he could not fight the feeling of jealousy that battered within him, and he walked right past the cliff he was supposed to go to and began to follow where Kopaka had gone. It took him a while to get to the peak of the mountain, but he came upon the vast clearing soon enough. It was at least half a dozen square kios large, with icy trees littered everywhere. 

Tahu remembered Kopaka saying _near_ the peak, so that meant not exactly on it. He crossed the clearing with haste, and at the other side found a canyon of towering black cliffs tracing down the mountain, separating into several different routes and paths partitioned by the cliffs. Tahu began to ponder which route Kopaka could and would have taken, when something caught his eye. He looked to the left, and found an array of ice-white, rounded huts built into the side of one of the cliffs. And he noticed another thing: Kopaka's Ice Shield hung off the side of one of the huts. 

Suddenly, the door to the hut slid open, and Tahu crouched instinctively behind a boulder to hide. _What am I doing?_ He thought. _This is foolish. Why am I following them around?_  
>It was fear, he decided. Fear that Kopaka might take Gali from him. Fear that Gali would go into the arms of the Toa of Ice without ever knowing that he was the one who truly cared for her. Tahu felt his heart clench, and suddenly a storm of feelings and emotions raged inside of him. He sat in the deep snow, oblivious of the sensation around him, only what he was feeling inside. He suddenly relived what he had experienced the first time he'd seen Gali, that feeling of desire and warmth, only more intensely. <p>

His breath caught in his lungs, and his heart felt heavy. He felt a tear form in his eye, but quickly evaporated into steam by his elemental fire. 

He took a breath, knowing this feeling, though he had felt it never before. 

He knew what it meant. 

He was in love with Gali. 

The door to the hut Kopaka was presumably in slid open, and the Ice Toa stepped out, looking pleased, followed by Gali. Kopaka slid his arm around her shoulders and they walked down the path, exchanging words and conversation Tahu could not make out. He watched them jealously, noting how close they seemed with each other. Gali never acted that way with him. She was never so open, so happy, so comfortable in his presence. She was always so cold, so concealed. 

Suddenly, just as Gali and Kopaka were about the disappear down the icy passageway, they turned to face each other. Gali embraced the Ice Toa tightly, and Tahu's heart throbbed.  
>After she was done, she turned, threw the board made of her combined Aqua Axes into the snow, and glided off. <p>

Tahu had had enough, and he stood, both saddened and angry, and walked off.

# 

Lewa, Toa Nuva of Air, was content. 

The Bohrok-Kal were defeated, the island of Mata Nui was free of danger in the time being, and now was a time for celebration. In all the branches of Le-Koro, revelries and festivals were being held celebrating the Toa Nuva's achievements. Normally, Lewa was like a starved Muaka tiger when it came to festivals, but right now, he just wanted to clear his head. Telling Turaga Matau that he would be gone for some time, Lewa had prepped his Air Katana and glided off to the fringes of Le-Wahi when the Mangai was closer than ever. Here, no one would bother him, and the rustling of leaves as Rahi snaked by and birds soaring overhead were the only sounds. Sunlight peaked through the dense canopy of the jungle leaves, and Lewa took a breath of the fresh, thin air. 

Securing his Air Katana in the crook of a branch, Lewa began to run along the giant limb of wood looking for the densest array of vines that he could swing around on. It took him quite a while and he actually managed to get to the end of the giant branch before he found one: hanging from the jungle ceiling, a nice, looping, curving, twisting group of bland vines that looked sturdy enough for him to stunt on. Swinging and hanging always rejuvenated Lewa's mind and left him in a good mood. No reason it wouldn't work now. 

Smiling mightily, the Toa of Air crouched, flexed his fingers, and then sprung from the gnarled hide of the branch. He did a series of mid-flips in the air, yelled at the top of his lungs with joy and excitement, and spread out his arms. He was only a bio away from the nearest vine, when suddenly Lewa noticed something. _Kopaka?_

Led by his reactions, Lewa glanced down foolishly, to indeed see that the white speck below was the Toa of Ice. Bad mistake. Without that split-second concentration, Lewa's hands brushed easily off of the vine and, his momentum used up, he began a descent. It seemed Lewa was given something to really scream about. 

The Toa Nuva of Air tumbled head-over-heels in a freefall, wrenching through tangles of tattered vines, battering against the barks of trees and bouncing off; ripping through the tough skins of giant leaves as he fell closer and closer to the jungle floor. Unfortunately, with the speed of his fall and the impact of the wind against his body and ultimately his thoughts, he was unable to summon the use of his Mask of Levitation in the chaos. And there were only three words going through his mind right now: _what a rip_. 

…Down below, Kopaka noticed the Toa of Air as the emerald figure fell from what would, in all probability, be the sky, screaming and smashing into so many different objects Kopaka couldn't keep track. It seemed Lewa was helpless to use his mask power, and so Kopaka had to do something to save him, otherwise Mata Nui would have one less Toa – and the ironic thing was, there weren't even any foes right now! 

Kopaka leapt from the fallen log he stood on onto another giant body of wood that jutted up from the marsh ground of the jungle; ran along a series of leaves extending from the stem of a very large flower, considering how small the ones in Ga-Wahi and the other places were; and reached back into the section of his mind that bridged him to his powers, both elemental and Kanohi-wise, and accessed the Kanohi Miru Nuva, Mask of Levitation. The good thing about Nuva Masks was that the user was able to share its power with whoever happened to be around. In this case: Lewa. 

The power of the Mask of Levitation did its bit well, as Lewa suddenly halted in mid-air, barely half a kio above the ground. The Toa of Air twisted in his floating position and looked at Kopaka. Then he frowned and said, "I sense-thought I quick-saw you." 

Kopaka blinked. "What were you doing so close to the jungle canopy?" 

Lewa gestured to the Toa of Ice that he didn't need shared Kanohi power any more, as he could now use his own Miru. He floated down to the flower bearing the leaf that Kopaka stood on, and landed on one of its bright pink petals at the top. 

"I was vine-swinging." The Toa of Air explained. "But that is ever-natural for an air-spirit. The question is: what are _you_ doing here?" 

Kopaka clenched his teeth. "I came here to…" he looked down to the murky waters below. "Lewa, I need to speak with you." 

"Judging by the sound-tone of your voice, I'd guess it's urgent." Lewa said. "You usually don't have any emotion when you speak." 

Kopaka glared at him, and the Toa of Air shrugged, before doing a back-flip down to the leaf Kopaka stood on. "I'm all ears." He laughed. "Do you get it? Because I'm a Toa of Air, and "ear" rhymes with "air"." 

Kopaka stared at him brusquely. Lewa immediately stopped laughing and leaned against the stem. "I guess it's not that happyfunny. What do you want to talk about?" 

"I…" Kopaka sighed. "Lewa, have you ever loved someone?" 

"Sure," Lewa said, and Kopaka found no hint of sarcasm in his voice. "I've loved my people, the Le-Matoran. I love my Turaga, for he is happy-cheer and a good song-singer. I love the jungle. I love my Toa-brothers. Surely you do, too, Kopaka. Why do you ask?" 

"No, I mean-" Kopaka didn't finish his sentence. He knew Lewa wouldn't get it. Instead, he tried a different approach. "Lewa, I … I think I'm … I think I'm in love with Gali." 

Lewa looked shocked at first, but then he let out a loud, hearty chuckle. "Ha, ha! Of course, brother. I love her, too. She is an ever-good friend, and…" 

"That's not what I mean!" Kopaka shouted. "I don't mean that I love her as a friend, or as a comrade, or a Toa! I'm trying to tell you, I'm… _I'm in love with her_." Kopaka felt a tear form in his eye, and he blinked it away quickly . "I … I want to be with her." 

This time, Lewa must have understood. He leaned off of the stem, and stepped forward. "I'm… sorry, brother. I didn't know." He sighed. "You're … reallly … in love with her?" 

"I am," Kopaka admitted, but something in the back of his mind told him that he was being foolish, opening up like this. "But I don't want to – I don't want to get in her way. Because I think… I think Tahu loves her too. And I think she… I think she…" this time, he did not hold back. Kopaka burst into tears. He doubled over, crying, and collapsed onto the leaf. Lewa rushed to help him, comforting the Ice Toa and lifting him back up to his feet. 

"You truly love her." Lewa remarked. Kopaka nodded. Lewa thought for a bit. "I will… I will talk to her, and to Tahu, and I will quick-tell you what they say." 

Kopaka almost gasped. "But you can't- you can't tell them what I told you! You just – can't!"  
>Lewa smiled. "Heartassure."<p>

#

Tahu sat in his hut, thinking. He wasn't sure what he was thinking about. His mind was blank and void of focus, but yet loud and crowded. He was thinking about what to think about. What _to_ think about, indeed? 

Suddenly, a rap on the door interrupted his obscure thoughts, and Tahu simply said, "Enter." 

The door opened on the type of stone hinges that Po-Matoran were now constructing. This door was a special kind of door, for it had to be large enough to fit a Toa through, and so it required three of the hinges to make up for the size. A wooden padlock on the inside could lock the door by sliding into a slot if Tahu wished privacy, but other than that it could always be opened; like now. 

Standing on the other side of the threshold was Gali. 

Tahu felt his heartlight skip a flash, and he flustered with nervous feelings. Then he remembered what had happened between her and Kopaka back on the mountain in Ko-Wahi and anger quickly replaced his nervousness. He frowned. "Yes?" 

"Tahu," Gali said, her voice timid, as if she herself were uneasy. _As if,_ Tahu thought, _all she could be to me is cold and blunt. Unlike when she's with Kopaka… yes, she favors Kopaka more, doesn't she? I don't know what she sees in him that I don't have._ "I want to speak to you about something," Gali continued. Tahu blinked. "What is it?" 

"Me and Kopaka…" Tahu immediately, and quite noticeably as well, flinched, and Gali stopped.  
>"What is it?" she asked. Tahu waved his hand dismissively. "It's nothing. It's…. continue." <p>

"All right," she said. "Me and Kopaka have found… no, that's not right…" 

Tahu leaned forward. "What's wrong? Continue." 

"I think that I…" she stopped again. "I… I… never mind." Quickly, and in an embarrassed type of way, she stood up and shuffled out of the hut. 

"Wait!" Tahu called, getting to his feet and running after her. Gali turned, tears forming in the corners of her eyes. 

"Gali, I…" Tahu began, but didn't finish the sentence, and Gali turned and ran off, leaving Ta-Koro. He didn't finish his sentence, but the words resonated in his mind like a Kolhii ball of sound: _I love you._

#

"Love is a sorry-bad thing, Lewa," Matau said in a deep, concerned voice. "I once loved Nokama, but… we never ended up in happycheer. Some times, things may well-work out, but other times, only sad-depression ensues." 

Lewa nodded, not sure what to say. All this talk about love was honestly freaking him out. But he'd do anything to protect Kopaka and his feelings. He'd never seen the Toa of Ice so … broken, before. He wanted, and needed, to help him. 

"You say you're in love with Gali?" Matau asked. Lewa blushed behind his mask, hoping Matau did not see. That was an untruth he had told Turaga Matau, saying that _he_ was the one who loved Gali instead of Kopaka. But he knew Kopaka didn't want anyone to know about his feelings, not even the Turaga. 

"Y-yes, Turaga Matau." Lewa said. "I've had this deep-feeling for an ever-while, now. I think I…" he couldn't utter the words. He couldn't. "I think I… love… I …" as much as it embarrassed him to say it, he had to, for Kopaka's sake. Trying not to gag, Lewa said, "I love her." 

"But you ever-believe that she is in love with Tahu?" Matau asked. Lewa nodded, unable to speak after uttering those words. "Well, it is wrong-bad to pursue someone who loves another. Remember, you cannot control Gali's feelings – only she can. If she does not love you, then she does not. But my word-advice to you, Lewa, is that you do the good-best you can to win her heart. But do not press too tough-hard. Remember my words: you cannot _make_ her love you." 

"I … I understand, Turaga," Lewa said, wanting to curl up into a ball and weep endlessly on the inside. He'd said he loved Gali without even meaning it. It was a horrible feeling to bear inside. 

Then, as Matau began to walk off, Lewa called to him, "Turaga?" 

Matau turned. "Yes?"  
>"Please do not speak-tell the others." Lewa said in a weak voice. The Toa of Air noticed a flash of smirk behind Matau's Mahiki, but then it disappeared. "Of course, Toa Lewa." <p>

Lewa stayed there for a while in stillness to make sure Matau was gone. He used the Akaku Nuva he'd acquired in his adventures to spot the Turaga right through the bark of the tree that one branch of Le-Koro was built on. When he was assured that nobody was around to see him, he rolled his eyes to the back of his head and fell over backwards.

#

At first, Tahu had spent a couple of minutes inside his hut, sulking. Then he'd decided to follow Gali and confess his true feelings to her. It took a bit of debate, but he eventually concluded that it was now or never, and with haste, he left the city of Ta-Koro to follow her. Being late as he was, he could only read the spoors she left behind to track her, for she was long gone from visual.  
>She was heading into the Le-Wahi jungle. He wondered why.<p>

#

Gali ran through the dense foliage, crying. Back in Ko-Wahi, Kopaka had told her that he would be coming here to talk with Lewa, though he'd sounded like he was hiding some kind of secret when he said it. But she didn't care. She wanted to see him. She wanted to talk to him. Inside her heart, emotions raged, unclear emotions, ones she couldn't read. She'd went to Tahu to tell him that she was in love with Kopaka, but when she'd arrived there, she stumbled and collapsed, unable to utter the words to him. Why was that? Something prevented her from saying those things to Tahu, some kind of emotion that got in the way. She wanted to tell him that she loved Kopaka, but couldn't. Why couldn't she? Was it because it wasn't true or … _no,_ she thought, _don't think that. I…_

She didn't know what to think, only that she needed to see Kopaka. Through her tears, her vision was blurry, and so she had a hard time getting through the floor of the jungle of Le-Wahi. The trees towered high above her, and several plants and Rahi scattered and varied all around her. Normally, this type of scenery would make her calm, and soothe her, but not right now. No, not right now. 

From the landmarks of the jungle around her, she could tell she was getting closer to Le-Koro. She could see Matoran flinging from vine to vine up near the branches of the giant trees, and the gardens of specially-tended giant plants that the Le-Matoran loved to stare down at from their vantage point atop the elevated village of Le-Koro. 

Kopaka should be around here somewhere, she knew, and she kept running, kept searching. 

The better part of an hour passed, and Gali was out of breath. She stopped in her tracks, her breathing heavy and in ragged gasps, and she leaned against the stem of a large plant. Blinking the tears out of her eyes, she looked around. Several condensed batches of scrub surrounded her that were next to impossible to traverse through, but in front of her, there was a wide pond of murky green water, broken only by two giant logs and a giant lily with leaves that were big enough to each fit a hut or even two. And standing on one of those leaves, she noticed, was the Toa of Ice. 

"Kopaka!" She yelled, running straight through the water, never mind their murk, to get to the plant. The Ice Toa noticed her and shrunk back, surprised and unable to react. She leapt onto the lowest leaf of the giant lily and then climbed the rest of the leaves like a staircase until she got to where Kopaka was, even as the thick water from the murky pond dripped off of her legs, making puddles on the leaf. Tears slid down her mask, and she began crying, but she didn't say a word. 

"Gali," Kopaka said, "What's wrong?" 

"I don't know what to do," Gali cried, before suddenly hugging Kopaka tightly and leaning her face into his shoulder. He was utterly stupefied at first, but then folded his arms around her and began to stroke her back. Then he felt a heat rise in his chest, and a sudden urge bulleted his mind, and urge to tell her… 

He leaned forward so that his mouth was by her ear and then whispered, "I love you, Gali." 

Just then, she pulled her face up from hs shoulder and looked deeply into his eyes. What he'd said was true; she could tell. Gali suddenly felt much better, and she leaned closer towards him, and her mask met his, and she kissed him.  
>Kopaka jolted, shocked at first, but then grew easy with the feeling and returned the kiss, embracing her tightly, the feeling of the two of them together, now, in this wonderful moment, spreading through him. <p>

It was at that time when the two of them heard a loud splashing sound that was disturbingly close to them, and then the sound of a blade snapping through wood. They pulled guiltily away from each other and turned, to see Tahu standing on the second log in the murky pond, his mouth agape, tears in his eyes and his heartlight flashing rapidly.  
>One of his Magma Swords were gouged into the bark of the log and the other had fallen into the murky water- obviously the splash and snapping sounds they had heard. <p>

For a long while, the three of them stood there in an awkward silence. It was Tahu who said the first thing, and it wasn't much. "Gali… you…"  
>"Tahu," she said. "I… I wanted to tell you that…" her voice died off in stutters, and she didn't dare finish. <p>

Tahu dropped to his knees on the log, tears rapidly sliding down his mask. "I… thought you…" without another word, the Toa of Fire turned, got to his feet, and ran off into the jungle, not even bothering to retrieve his Magma Swords. Gali immediately broke out of Kopaka's arms and began to run after him. "Tahu! I'm sorry! I-" she crossed the murky pond and reached the land again, but it was too late: he was already gone. 

Gali knew there was no sense in pursuing any further. She let a tear roll down her mask, and turned back to Kopaka, who had a sad look on his face. 

"Kopaka…" she said quietly.  
>"I'm sorry, Gali," he interrupted her. "You… you can't love both of us. You have to make up your mind." He looked away. "I'm sorry, but until you decide, I'm afraid I can't … see you anymore…" <p>

And with that, he turned and ran off as well, leaving Gali by herself in the depths of the jungle. 

The Toa of Water dropped to her knees. "Tahu… Kopaka…" she put her head in her hands and wept. "No… what have I done…?"


	2. Second Instalment

Onua Nuva stood in the perpetual darkness of Onu-Wahi with the stiffness of a Po-Koro Sculpture, his breathing so slight not even a tunneler rat would be able to hear him; tinting his eyes dark so their green shine did not disturb the darkness. The Toa of Earth was deep in thought, lost in the colorless matrix of his mind, swimming through the abstract sparks that were his thoughts, but finding nothing solid enough for him to focus on. His physical body was an empty case, the ground beneath his feet a hollow oblivion, only a subliminal grip keeping his hands clutched around the handles of his Quake Breakers. He was in one what might call a slumber, only he was still awake. 

Something shifted in the earth, and a bright spark solidified in Onua's mind. He approached the spark, reached out and touched it, and examined its contents. Inside the spark was a suspicion that a violent Rahi, like the Manas crabs that were now loose in some tunnels, could be near. Also, a presumption that another Matoran, or probably Turaga Whenua, was near. But a red piece of the spark warned him that maybe seismic events were hitting Onu-Wahi, that could threaten all of Onu-Koro. 

Leaving the spark, Onua condensed himself and returned half of his being to his physical form. Senses kicking in, Onua's shoulders recoiled as if he'd just been hit in the chest, and he shook his head to ease his muscles. There was enough dwelling in the sea of his mind; it was time to investigate. 

Un-tinting his eyes, Onua accepted the green glow that they naturally let off and granted him a particular acuteness of night vision. Strapping his Quake Breakers to his back for compactness, he began to run lithely through the pitch black tunnels. The earth shifted again, and Onua knew that the source was near. Making an abrupt turn, he jumped directly into the wall, using his earth power to silently form a hole there. Somersaulting through the hole he'd made, Onua unfolded himself when he came out on the other side of the wall and landed soundlessly on the ground, which should've been heatless this deep under the surface. Instead, a bubbling warmth exuded from the ground, though not hot enough to burn. 

_Fire scorpions, probably,_ Onua thought, and so he drew his Quake Breakers. Slowly walking around the corner of the tunnel he was now in, he found a slight red glow emanating from the entrance to a chamber up ahead. A lava pit, maybe? He didn't know any fire scorpion nests that gave off a glow like that. Onua thought to use his Akaku Nuva would be best, see what the source was before entering the chamber himself, body and all, but decided it wouldn't be much of a thrill that way. And now that the Bohrok-Kal were done, and the Toa Nuva had nothing to do but slack, he _needed_ a thrill. 

Onua turned, rounded the corner into the chamber, and prepared himself for the worst. Only to find: "Tahu?" 

It was a large underground chamber, and standing roughly in the center of it was the Toa Nuva of Fire, undoubted. Around him were thick belts of lava, snaking across the chamber in an unnatural pattern, if it was even a pattern at all. They were strung out and wavy as if they were gouges made by a sword. Onua reckoned they were the results of Tahu possibly venting his anger. 

Tahu turned, oblivious of the Toa of Earth's presence, and lashed out with his Magma Sword again, creating an instant streak of lava across the ground which's shape mimicked the exact motion of his swing. The lava raged towards Onua, almost felling the Toa of Earth.  
>Luckily, Onua's quick reflexes made him leap to the side, do a die roll, and draw out his Quake Breakers in an offensive stance. But he didn't attack. Instead, he stood up, sheathed his Quake Breakers, and yelled, "Are you crazy!" <p>

"I'll take that as a rhetorical question." Tahu said emotionlessly, turning away from the Toa of Earth and whipping out with his Magma Sword again, creating a fissure in the wall that spurred out bright lava. It seemed he didn't notice, or obviously didn't care, that he'd just almost killed Onua. Which really startled the Toa of Earth.  
>Onua walked forward, quenching down his own surprise and anger at Tahu for lashing out at him like that. "Tahu, are you okay?" <p>

"Truth or lie?" Tahu said in the same emotionless voice, crossing his Magma Swords in both hands, taking a breath, and then swiping them out, creating a deadly powerful blast of fire, which shot forward and ripped directly through the wall of the cavern. Molten droplets of the earth dripped down to the scorched ground. 

"Stop it, Tahu!" Onua yelled. "You'll cause a cave-in!"  
>"I don't care!" Tahu yelled back, this time his voice full of hurt and rage. "Let it cave in, and be over with! I'm so sick and tired of ... of ... of all of this!" <p>

Onua stepped forward, frowning. Nothing could be troubling the Toa of Fire this much. He wasn't even this angry when he'd lost his elemental powers to the Bohrok-Kal. Either Tahu was possessed right now, or he had a real pain-in-the-neck problem with something- or maybe both. "Tahu, stop it," Onua said in his calmest voice. "You'll truly cause the cavern to collapse. What's troubling you? You can talk to me." 

Tahu drew his blades to shoot out another burst of magma again, but then stopped. He dropped them to the ground, and they clattered before slipping into the streaks of lava all around him. Unsurprisingly, they did not melt in the heat, but rather floated on the surface of the molten liquid like it was as cool and thin as water.  
>Tahu turned to Onua, his face half in a frown and half in a scowl. He stared hard at the Toa of Earth, and Onua didn't dare look away, fearing he might anger or upset Tahu if he did.<br>"What's troubling you?" Onua asked, taking another step forward. 

"Have you ever loved someone, Onua?" Tahu said abruptly. Onua flinched at the question. "Of course I have. I love my people, all of them. I love my Turaga, and I love all my brothers and sisters, the Toa, _you_, Tahu. What do you mean? Why are you asking such a thing?" 

"Not that kind of love, everyone has that kind of love," Tahu said, his voice curt. "I mean _real_ love. Passion. Desire. For a specific person... That kind of love." 

"Passion? Desire?" Onua echoed. "Tahu, what are you saying?"  
>"You're not very bright, are you? Well, I'd figure why." Tahu said coldly. He glanced to the lava streaks and then back to Onua. "I <em>love<em> Gali. I have a desire for her- a passion for her. I want to be with her... Do you remember when we first met?" 

Onua nodded. 

"And when we first saw Gali?" 

Onua nodded once more. 

"That was the moment I fell in love with her. Of course, you wouldn't know, because you're not me. But the passion, the feeling I felt when I saw her... I knew I loved her, I knew I needed her by my side. My heart was never truly content after I felt that. And now... well, call it a poem: she captured my heart that day, and now, she's broken it. Not exactly the "happycheer" that plays in uptree Le-Koro, but it's the truth." 

Onua knew, by the way the Fire Toa was talking, that Tahu was truly upset, to the level where he was slightly crazed. But it was still the same old Tahu he knew, and thank the Spirit for that. "Tahu..." 

"I loved her!" Tahu yelled, only barely holding back tears. "I loved her, and now... now I'm... I'm burning up... melting, _dying_ because of it... Burning up. Ha. An ironic thing... 'cause I'm... the Toa of Fire." 

"What happened, Tahu?" Onua asked. "Why... how did she ... break your heart?"  
>"She rejected me. Abandoned me. Disregarded me and my feelings." Tahu growled. "I saw her and Kopaka... in Le-Wahi. They were getting all... cuddly and such. I saw the heat between them, the intimacy. My heart melted with jealousy and rage in that moment, I just wanted to ... I don't know what to do..." Tahu's eye blurred as a hot tear formed and slid down his mask, dropping to the hot ground and evaporating on contact. For a long moment, Tahu's heartlight didn't take its next flash, but then he turned from Onua and tilted his head up to look at the ceiling of the chamber. Then, Onua noticed something: Tahu's mask was fading, changing. By the time the morph was done, Onua noticed something: Tahu had summoned the Pakari Nuva. But that was the last coherent thing the Toa of Earth saw. <p>

His body surging with the immeasurable strength enhancement of the Pakari Nuva, Tahu lunged back, raised his fist into the air, and then slammed it down into the cavern floor with such strength that could crush a Manas crab. Onua jolted in pain, feeling the earth's sudden ruptures as his own, and craned back, helpless to stop or warn the Toa of Fire. A massive fissure split the ground and innumerable cracks raced everywhere against the black stone, eventually snaking their ways deep into the crooks of the cavern walls. All of this was accompanied by a massive roar of sound as the earth broke, like a thunderclap that created a physical explosion of force that knocked Onua off the ground. Then, an instant later, there was no ground. 

The damage that Tahu had done had split the floor beneath them and now the two Toa Nuva were falling through open air, joined by countless boulders and shards of black rock that had split free in the incident. Onua could not hear his own screams and yells over the rushing of wind and the smashing of boulders against each other and, he was guessing, the walls of the ditch they were falling through. His mind a jumble, he could not gather his bearings long enough to summon the Mask of Levitation to break his fall. Out of the corner of his teary eyes, he saw Tahu on the other side of a screen of black stones, falling as well, his Magma Swords piercing the air around him. But there was something wrong. The Toa of Fire was screaming, yes- but not of shock or rage or desperateness. He was screaming of zeal, of excitement... it was as if he liked this. _He's insane,_ Onua decided. 

"Whoo!" Tahu yelled as he fell head-over-heels through the seemingly bottomless pit, his crimson armor standing out in the darkness of the rush; a thrashing, raging, kicking bullet of kinetic energy around him and the Magma Swords at his sides, which were burning hot.  
>Onua noted that his Quake Breakers were still strapped to his back, and let the littlest iota of consolation come over him. But he was still panicked. <p>

It was pitch black in the ditch they were falling through, but Onua's night vision, if boggled and rushed and battered, was enough to let him see around as he fell. But there was something wrong. His night vision was brighter than normal, and was getting brighter by the second. Then another thing: instead of the normal green tint that his emerald eyes affected to his vision, it was slowly reddening. Onua made the briefest of attempts to look down and realized something: it was not his night vision. It was a steaming, boiling, bursting lake of lava below rushing up to meet them that was casting the place in that red light. 

Across the screen of charcoal stone that separated him and Onua, Tahu reached out slowly and clutched his clawed fingers around the hilts of his Magma Swords. With a breathtaking amount of effort, he brought the two blades together and connected them by the hilts, letting the protodermis fuse together to form a double-sword. Then he turned over, did a flip mid-fall, tossed the Magma Board up, and landed feet-first on the sides of the silvery blades of the board.  
>The next instant, Tahu hit the surface of the lava on his Magma Board and, ushered by his unfinished momentum, shot forward and skimmed up eddies of molten lava as he surfed forward on his board. A second later, Onua followed, but unfortunately was unprepared and had no magma board of his own. In another two seconds, he would be slag on the surface of the lava. <p>

By instinct, Onua summoned his earth powers with whatever consciousness was left, and elevated the bed of the lava river. The black earth shot up from beneath the surface of the lava, and Onua landed on it the next instant. Unfortunately, the force of his fall and his own weight smashed the earth into pieces and he strained to keep balance on the nearest one. It was flat, jagged, and long enough for him to stand on. He shot forward on the makeshift lava board, following after Tahu. Unfortunately, he did not have the resistance of heat that the Fire Toa did, and the hot air that rose from the surface of the lava was slowly beginning to fatigue him.  
>Tahu didn't notice though, and seemed to have entirely forgotten about the Toa of Earth. The Toa of Fire was yelling excitedly, waving his arms like a demented Rahi in a windstorm, and executing various stunts on the lava. <p>

Onua had never surfed before, or at least not like this, and was not talented in the sport. He struggled to keep balance on the board as it raced forward, almost tipping and falling into the molten when lava waves rocked his board, or when he accidentally tripped protruding rocks. His body felt heavy, and his strength was being sapped. He tried to think of a mask he had that could help him in this situation, but found none. 

"Whoo!" Tahu yelled again as he alternated his body weight to either side of the board, resulting in his the magma board veering from side to side, kicking up tongues of lava and riding on them. 

When he wanted a boost of speed, his used his power over fire to make the lava beneath him act up and spit him forward on a wave of elementally controlled magma.  
>Leaning over the side of his board, he reached down with his hand, scooped up a handful of lava, and splashed it against his face. <p>

_Yes,_ Onua thought, _he is insane._

Coming rapidly toward Tahu was a small lump of black rock sticking out of the rushing lava like the back of a giant slug. Tahu laughed maniacally and then crouched on his board, as he surfed closer. Finally, a second before he made impact, he sprung off of the board and did a flip in the air. His Magma Board sliced straight through the base of the rock, shearing it off the surface of the lava, and kept going without as much as a decrease of speed. Tahu landed perfectly on the top of the board from his flip and crouched again. 

Onua shot by just a bio behind Tahu, cursing silently under his breath. He yelled at the Toa of Fire, but his voice was lost on the wind. Grumbling something incoherent, he crouched in the same position that Tahu had assumed, hoping it was some kind of surfing technique or aerodynamic matter. He hated this. 

Leaning to the side, he saw a giant protrusion of black rock breaking the surface of the lava. It was much larger than the first rock Tahu had sliced through- it was easily twice the height of a Toa and just as wide. Strangely, Tahu didn't seem to have a problem with it. 

Then, before Onua's eyes, Tahu sprung up into the air like an agile Brakas, and interestingly, his Magma Board shot up with him. Leaning down in mid-air, Tahu grabbed the hilt in the middle of the Magma Board and did a back flip right over the giant rock. Unfortunately, Onua wasn't agile enough to accomplish such a feat, and even if he were, he didn't even know how to do that. He fiddled helplessly for a moment, frantically going through the bursting sparks of his mind to find what he should do, when he summoned the power of his Pakari Nuva. The rock was too close now. He had no other choice. Yelling in a tone that was somewhere between determination and hysteria, he craned back his fist and then slammed it forward just as he was about to make contact with the rock. Helped by his Mask Of Strength, he smashed straight through the rock, but not painlessly. A full-out hole in the shape of his body was carved through the rock, which then collapsed into the lava by the major damage to its support. 

Onua groaned, rubbing his aching shoulders. That was it. He was never, ever, _ever_, going anywhere with Tahu again. 

Looking forward, he noticed something. This was the end of the line. Or at least, it would be for him. The river of lava stopped, dropped, and roared into a massive cascade that Onua could only guess was at least a kio high. Maybe Tahu could overcome that, but Onua could and would die if he took that drop. 

To Onua's relief, though, Tahu had no intentions of riding that fall. Instead, he veered his board to the wall of the tunnel, where a large array of sharp boulders curved up to the top of a cliff, which windowed yet another lava river, on a plateau at least a kio above the one they were surfing on now. Crouching, Tahu vaulted high into the air, his Magma Board clinging to his feet like a frightened Ussal to a wall. Strangely, where he was inevitably directed to land was the peak of a sharp spire that not even a snake could cling to. Onua watched as the Toa of Fire turned his legs suddenly and jabbed the tip of his Magma Board into the spire, before wrenching it out a second later and leaping to the other spire, gradually climbing his way to the top of the plateau. 

Knowing if he stayed riding these flows any longer he'd end up falling down that lava-fall, Onua leapt off of his makeshift lava board and shot towards the spire. He used his earth power to flatten out the spire and then landed hard onto it, bounding mightily to the other one that which he flattened out a second before he landed. Tahu took no notice to this either- it was as if the Fire Toa was lost in his own imaginative world where nothing existed besides him, his Magma Board, the lava rocks, and the lava. 

Finally, Tahu disappeared over the edge of the plateau cliff, and Onua jumped up a second after, vaulting high over the cliff edge and then descending rapidly for the next lava river. Surprisingly, he was just above Tahu. A spark roused in his mind; a green spark, an idea spark. Onua peeked into this idea spark and smiled. Fulfilling the idea, he flipped in mid-air, straightened his body into a diving position, and then summoned the Kakama Nuva, Mask of Speed. He shot forward faster than the eye could follow, and in the next instant landed of the backside of Tahu's Magma Board. His weight craned the board back like a whinnying Ussal, but Tahu didn't give heed to this either. He didn't even notice Onua was standing on his board right behind him. Well, it didn't matter, because the next second Onua's feet began to boil under the heat of the blade of the Magma Board and he sprang back, hooting uncontrollably. He summoned another makeshift lava board to surface and landed hard on his back. That was insane- how could anyone, even the Toa Nuva of Fire, stand on a board that hot? It didn't make sense! 

Looking down, Onua noticed that the bottom layers of his boots had melted into slag, leaving the bare armor of the bottom of his feet sticking out. He wiggled his toes clumsily and then grumbled. Getting to his feet, he steered his lava board closer to Tahu's. Just ahead of them, the tunnel had come to an end, and the river they were surfing on fed into a giant lake of magma. And in the center of the lake, he noticed, was Ta-Koro. _How far have we come?_ Onua wondered. _I could have said that when we were back in the cavern Onu-Koro was just a kio away. Have we been surfing that long?_

When they shot through the arching exit of the tunnel Onua saw a bright, if clouded, sky open up above them. It was a remarkable sight, but it hurt his eyes. 

When he was close enough to the City of Fire, Tahu used his elemental power to summon a massive wave of lava that arced high into the air and overcame even the tallest spire of Ta-Koro in height. Veering towards it, Tahu surfed up it on his Magma Board and then flipped through the air, over the walls of Ta-Koro, and into the city. 

Just as the wave was dispersing, Onua used his earth power to create a structure of solid earth of the same shape, size, and position of the wave Tahu created. Then he leapt off his lava board, unhooked his Quake Breakers and then buckled them to his feet. He landed onto the wave of earth on the silver tracks and began to rapidly climb them on the grip and push of the Quake Breakers. In a second, he'd climbed the earthen wave and shot into the air over the walls of Ta-Koro. Spinning in mid-air, he splintered the earthen wave with his elemental powers and watched as the pieces disappeared beneath the lava. Then he turned back, summoned the Miru Nuva, and floated gently down to the streets of Ta-Koro. Ta-Matoran crowding the streets everywhere stopped to look in awe at him, obviously amazed at his remarkable stunt, but he ignored them. 

His eyes overlooked the crimson Matoran in search of the Toa of Fire, but to no avail; Tahu was gone. Then, suddenly, activity in the street began to kick up again and Onua found a crowd of Ta-Matoran surrounding him, jumping up at him. 

"Toa Onua!" They cried among other things. Onua backed away, waving them off, but they didn't listen. "Toa Onua, the Spirit of Earth is here!" The Matoran cried, their faces full of glee, offering him fruit and supplies. 

"Uh..." Onua stuttered. "No, uh..." The chatter seemed to break down after a bit, and then the Matoran turned, gasped, and began to shuffle aside to make a clear passage. The Turaga of Fire approached, staff in hand. "Onua." He greeted. Onua straightened and bowed immediately. "Vakama!" 

"Come, Earth Spirit," Vakama said, beckoning the Toa with his staff and then walking away. The Matoran watched him go, their faces done up with awe and whispers ringing around every crowd. Onua glanced at them once and then hurried to follow Vakama.

#

"Toa Tahu!" Jaller cried, jumping off the pedestal of the Ta-Suva and running zealously towards Tahu with his arms open. "You're back!" The Ta-Matoran jumped towards Tahu, meaning to hug him, but Tahu did not accept- apparently didn't even notice –the hug and Jaller smacked into his chest plate and bounced to the ground. "Ouch! That hurt!" 

"Jaller." Tahu acknowledged, looking down at the Captain of the Guard once and then approaching the suva. Fixating his mask, Jaller got back up to his feet and followed the Toa of Fire. "Tahu, is something wrong? You seem troubled." 

"Oh?" Tahu replied, not even glancing at the Matoran. "How is that?" 

"Well, you didn't allow me to hug you. Not that that's unusual, but the least you could've done was prevented me from slamming against the ground. And you're not talking. That's a rare."  
>Tahu glared at Jaller, and the Ta-Matoran shrunk back. Then the Fire Toa turned back to the suva and ran his hands over the smooth stone. Jaller crossed his arms against his chest and frowned. "Seriously, Tahu, what has you cross?" <p>

"A lot of things." Tahu said. "None of which are any of your business." 

"Sheesh, you Toa. I'll never understand," Jaller sighed. "Gali was acting the same way too. She wouldn't talk to me." 

Tahu flinched. He looked to Jaller. "Gali was here?" 

"Still is. She's currently at Kahgni's tavern. When she first came in, she said she was looking for you. I told her you weren't here, which was the honest truth by the way, and she started getting really sad. She said to tell you when you got here that she needed to see you, and that she'd be at Kahgni's tavern. It sounded really urgent." 

_Why?_ Tahu thought. _Why would she want to talk to me? It's obviously over- I saw her and Kopaka together! I saw them! What does she have to say to me?_ He turned and looked down at Jaller. "Tell her I'm not here." 

"But that would be lying, Toa Tahu," Jaller said almost derisively. When Tahu narrowed his eyes, he exhaled sharply. "But I guess it would be slightly true. I'd tell her you're not here, but really I'd be meaning you're not in the tavern. But of course, she wouldn't know that, so it's not really a lie." When Jaller was done talking, Tahu was already walking away. "Hey, Tahu, where're you-" 

"Tahu!" Called a voice. The Toa of Fire froze in his tracks, but didn't dare to turn around. Jaller frowned, and then turned to see the Toa of Water running across the street. "Toa Gali!" Jaller said, jumping in front of her. "I give you my humblest of greetings. If you are still searching, I'm sorry to say that Tahu is not here..." 

"Move." Gali said, though not unkindly, and lifted Jaller by the armpits and placed him by the suva. Then she proceeded after Tahu. Jaller crossed his arms and scoffed. "Fine! You know what, I don't care! Go do whatever you're doing, and I'm going to stay here and ... uh... look at the masks." 

Tahu was already walking again, not even looking back, when Gali grabbed his shoulder. "Tahu, stop!" She said, "I need to speak to you." 

Tahu felt anger rising up in him like lava bursting in the Mangai. Clenching his hands into fists so tight that his claws dug into his armor, he turned and shouted, "Speak to me? Speak to me about what! I saw you and Kopaka in Ko-Wahi, and I saw you in Le-Wahi, and I know that the two of you have a relationship! If you've come to speak to me about that, I don't want to hear it, because you have nothing to say to me! I don't care if you love him or not, so go ahead and live your happy lives, and unless it has something just vaguely to do with the destruction of the island, _do not come and speak to me again!_" 

With that, the Fire Toa turned and stormed off, leaving Gali there, rooted in her tracks, shocked by his reaction. Then she reached out and ran after him. "Wait, Tahu, that's... I wanted to ... me and Kopaka are not truly together, yet. I wanted to talk to you about that, I wanted to know your feelings!" 

Tahu scoffed. "My feelings? _My feelings_? Since when did you care about my feelings? Since when did you give a Gukko's pellet about my feelings? Since when have you ever even considered them, what I might want or what I might feel? You don't care about my feelings- Kopaka just split up with you and now you come on to me, isn't that it?" 

"No! Wait!" Gali pleaded. "Listen to me! I didn't know it before, but I realized... after you saw us in Le-Wahi, I had to straighten things out. I have to talk to you, Tahu!" She reached forward for him and grabbed his shoulder again. Tahu stopped this time, and turned around, his expression dark but not angry. "You want to know my feelings?" He said solemnly, then slid his arms around her waist and wrapped her in a long, sensational kiss. At first, she was startled by this, but slowly began to ease in. 

When Tahu pulled away, emotions stirred within him. He had never felt this before. So close to Gali, their bodies pressed together and his arms around her. And he had kissed her. Never before had he shared a kiss like this with her, and it was the most beautiful feeling he had ever experienced. But somehow, he wasn't afraid. The emotion that welled up inside of him was determination, intensity and passion. 

"I love you," he said. "Those are my feelings." 

No other words were said. He wrapped his arms around her, and he kissed her, and this time she returned the kiss fully. 

He knew that he loved Gali, and it was a feeling he couldn't deny. And he believed, even if it were just a foolish illusion, that she loved him back. At least for now.

#

"What?" Lewa yelled furiously. "I quick-think that there's maybe water in my ears, because I'm ever-sure that I didn't listen-hear you properly. What did you say?" 

"I... I told her off." Kopaka said. "I told her I couldn't see her again. It was the right thing, Lewa- I can't make her love me if she truly doesn't. She has to decide who she really loves herself. It's only right." 

"What did Turaga Matau speak-say? He didn't say, "act like a wimp-ish Gukko hatchling and give up", he said to give it your ever-best! If you really love her, tell her that, explain your emotion-feelings. And no, when I say that, I don't mean make out on one of the giant plant-leaves, I mean tell her that in _talk-words_! If she really loves you, _then_ you make out. But if she doesn't, then she'll turn you down and snap-break your heart. It's as simple as that!" 

Kopaka sighed. "No. I won't see her again. I'll give her time to think about it, and when she makes up her mind, then she can come and tell me. I won't try to make her love me- isn't that what Turaga Matau said?" 

Lewa pondered this. "Well, he said something ever-similar to that." Then he scowled. "But that doesn't count-matter! If you truly love her, then do what I speak-say! If you're a coward, then stay here and sulk!" 

"So I'm a coward!" Kopaka yelled. "So what? What do you care? It's not even any of your business, so why don't you shut up and leave me alone?" 

Lewa jolted, shocked. "Look, Kopaka... heartsorry. But it _is_ my business- I'm your brother, your comrade... your heart-pain is my heart-pain, and I will do anything to help you. All right?" 

Kopaka clenched his teeth. "...Okay." 

"And besides, don't give me that "leave me alone" stuff, because you're the one who involved me in all this stuff anyways," Lewa said. Kopaka almost smiled. "Yeah. Thanks, Lewa. You're the best." 

"I know." Lewa said smugly. "Now are you going to go after Gali?" 

This time, Kopaka did smile. "Yes. I will." 

Lewa smiled too. Then, suddenly, a deep, resounding boom echoed metrically through the region. Lewa craned his head to listen, then glanced slyly to Kopaka. "Well quick-hurry up. I'm afraid I can't aid-help you- those are the sound-drums. The Le-Matoran need me." 

"It's no problem." Kopaka said. "I don't want you involved in my mushy concerns."  
>"Well then, I'll be ever-going!" Lewa said, and then in less than a second, he turned and sprinted up the base of the nearest tree, climbing its giant roots and vines with the speed of a lithe Muaka. In seconds, he was gone, and Kopaka was alone. The Toa of Ice sat there for a while, silently thanking Lewa and all that he'd done- and all that he would do –just to protect Kopaka's petty, personal feelings. He was truly a great Toa. <p>

With the Air Toa's advice in mind, Kopaka turned and headed for Ga-Koro. If anywhere, Gali was sure to be there.

#

"As it turns out," Vakama was saying, "Preparations have come quickly and everything has been set up. Last night, we Turaga had a gathering, and we decided that the Kolhii Tournament will be held tomorrow." 

Onua blinked. "Tomorrow?" 

"Indeed." Vakama said. "A team of two Matoran from Ta-Koro, Ga-Koro and Po-Koro will compete in a celebratory tournament for the defeat of the Bohrok-Kal." 

"And Tahu and Gali..." Onua stuttered, remembering what Tahu had told him in the cave. The Toa of Fire loved Gali, and she had broken his heart. And he'd said he didn't want to see her again. They'd have to be together when the tournament was held though, to represent their respective Matoran classes. But if Tahu was still so upset over her, Onua dreaded what could and would happen, especially with her right beside him. He remembered the Toa of Fire ravaging the cavern back in Onu-Wahi, and then destroying the floor on his own will. If he acted that way again... he would be very dangerous. 

"Is something bothering you, Onua?" Vakama asked. Onua shook his head. "N-no, Turaga, I just... I have to go. Shall I inform Pohatu and Gali of this?" 

"Oh, no, no, that is unnecessary, Earth Spirit." Vakama said. "The Turaga will inform the Toa right away- missives have been sent across messenger gukkos. Actually, Toa Gali is already here. I'm surprised as to why... in fact, why are you here, Toa Onua? I heard there was business in Onu-Koro." 

Onua ignored everything else Vakama had said after the Turaga had stated that the Toa of Water was here. He blinked. "Gali's here? Right now?"  
>"Yes. She's at Kahgni's tavern, I think. She seemed desperate to speak with Tahu. I hope nothing's wrong..." <p>

"Excuse me, Turaga, but I have to go." Onua said, getting to his feet and rushing out. Vakama frowned. "Toa Onua? Is something wrong?" 

But Onua ignored him. He had to find out what was going on.

#

With the enhancement of the Kakama Nuva, Great Mask of Speed, Kopaka managed to make it to Ga-Wahi in barely a second. He was still quite unskilled with the power of ultraspeed, but he was able to control it well enough to easily vibrate his being and phase through the innumerable objects obstructing the way to Ga-Wahi; he practically raced on the air. Colors and textures flew by in the instant that passed. Kopaka Nuva should have died by the jet lag and pressure, but the Kakama Nuva enhanced his body as to withstand that. That was the beauty of Great Masks of Power. 

Before the next passing Gukko bird could so much as flap its wings once more, Kopaka Nuva was standing on the beach, looking over at the city of giant pads that was Ga-Koro. Or at least, it's entrance. He knew the real city spanned way further than this, and held over fifty thousand Ga-Matoran; those of who didn't live in the surrounding regions in their desire to be closer to nature. Kopaka knew he should find Gali here. 

Treading down the beach at normal speed, Kopaka stopped at the massive rockwood gate and looked up. On the watch tower beside the gate, the Ga-Matoran Guard was occupied sitting by a Mata Nui Stone, and carving out figs from the inside of a Madu fruit and passing them through the mouth of her Kaukau. That was a very unusual way for any Matoran to eat; passing food through their mouths. Unless they had Noble Masks, they would have to chew up the food and usually they had to dispose wasteful content of the food through a rarely used filter on the hind part of all Matoran bodies. It was a bit of stress and time-consuming to some, unless you wore a Noble Mask. 

Noble Masks had mouth filters: small arrangements of thin slits that gathered to make a filter-like feature. What they did was slice up the food into tiny, swallow-able pieces so the wearer didn't have to chew, and they also prevented any waste particles to get through. So if any Matoran preferred consuming food through their mouths, Noble Masks were nifty. 

This Ga-Matoran, who should be keeping a lookout over the gate, obviously did not notice Kopaka. This slightly irritated the Toa of Ice; if she had such a task, she should devote to it, and not stray her attention. Apparently, this Matoran was not worthy of the task she was assigned with. He decided she should have another chance and he would not take away her job just yet. But if he caught her distracted again, he would fire her. 

He rose his Ice Blade into the air and summoned a small pillar of ice on the watch tower in front of the Ga-Matoran. At first, she was startled, but then she realized it must be the Toa of Ice and began to roll the gate away after a quick, "My apologies, Toa Kopaka." 

Kopaka did not reply, just walked through the immense threshold and crossed the smooth, velvety pathways of the smooth sea pads composing Ga-Koro. 

Through the Great Mask of Vision, he extended his eyepiece and began to survey. Immediately, he used the masks power so that all the bodies of the crowds of Ga-Matoran became transparent; all their huts and roadways so that it seemed that now everything in the village was invisible and not a visual obstruction, as he searched for Gali Nuva. He looked as far as his mask allowed him; which was very far. He looked for mios and mios through buildings until the vast expanses of Ga-Koro ended and all that was left was the ocean. He even looked there, in the deep blue waters, considering that the Toa of Water might be there, who knows, for a swim? But his search was futile. Gali was not here. 

_Impossible_, he thought. _If she is not here, where is she?_  
>Somebody approached, and Kopaka used his mask to look to the side without having to turn his head. It was Turaga Nokama. He turned, frowning. "Turaga..." <p>

"Have you come to search for Gali?" She asked abruptly. He glanced down inexpressively, before nodding. "I see," she said, tilting her trident. "I thought so. She came here earlier in a very sullen mood. She'd said she made a horrible mistake, and that it contained you and Toa Tahu Nuva. Then she went to Ta-Koro. I don't know what could have been troubling her so..." 

"She went to Ta-Koro?" Kopaka snapped, harsher than he would have liked. "Why?"  
>"That I do not know, Kopaka Nuva. Perhaps she is going to prepare for the great Kolhii Tournament – oh, were you informed? It has been decided that the Kolhii Tournament is to be held tomorrow." <p>

"Tomorrow?" Kopaka fumed. "She... her... Tahu..." 

"Is there something upsetting you, Toa Kopaka?" 

"I...I have to go, Nokama. Fare well. I'll see you at the match." Then, his Akaku Nuva faded and morphed into the Kakama Nuva. The Great Mask of Speed briefly flared to life, and then he was gone. 

Nokama stood there for a moment, and then shrugged. "I will never understand Toa..."

#

Gali sat up. 

Tahu was at the window of the hut, peering out into the sky. The expression on his face was one in thought. Gali smiled, standing and walking toward the Toa of Fire. She slid her arms around him and kissed him on the cheek. "What's bothering you?" she asked. 

"Kopaka." He replied bluntly. "Do you still love him? Do you expect me to sit here while you love us both? Or have you decided?" 

"I..." Gali started, but the words choked in her throat. 

"I thought so," he said, turning around. "I love you, Gali. But we cannot truly be together unless you love me back. And your love for me can never be true if you love Kopaka as well." 

"I..." Gali stuttered. 

"You want to say that you love me only," Tahu continued, reaching up and gently taking Gali's arms off of him, before walking away. He went and sat on the mattress of flexible bamboo that was his bed. "But you can't say it because you know it's not completely true. You feel like it is, but imagine... what would you feel like if the door opened and Kopaka was standing in the threshold right now?" 

As if on cue, the door creaked open and both Toa of Fire and Water swung, surprised, to it. And standing in the threshold was the one and only Toa Nuva of Ice. 

"Call it a premonition," Tahu muttered. 

"Kopaka," Gali uttered, half a whisper and half a gasp. The Toa of Ice was frowning intensely, looking from Gali to Tahu, sadness and disgust crossed on his features. "Gali!" he shouted. "Are you mad? What, I tell you off and you go running to Tahu? What kind of person are you? That's not love!" 

"I came to Tahu to talk." Gali said tersely. 

"To talk?" Kopaka yelled. "To talk! Then why were you... ki... ahrgh!" He slammed his fist into the wall, crushing the stone there. Then he took two stern paces towards Gali. "You don't love either of us! You're just... you're using us. But what do you get out of it? You're crazy!" 

"That's enough!" Tahu interrupted, his voice like thunder. He rose from the bed and walked toward Kopaka, staring the Toa of Ice in the eye. "That is no way to talk to Gali," he said brusquely. Kopaka turned to look at him. "You mean you've fallen for it? You've actually fallen for it? You think she loves you? I told her off, so she comes running to you, even though she was with me just an instant ago? Do you think that's true love? Do you?" 

"It doesn't matter what I feel or what I think!" Tahu snapped. "I told you that that is no way to speak to Gali, and you had better listen!" 

"Or what? You may lead the team, but I will never listen to you, Tahu Nuva." Kopaka said. "Don't you see what she's doing? This is not love, no matter what sick, demented way you see it!" 

"I told you to shut up," Tahu grumbled. 

"And I told you I didn't want to!" Kopaka said, before swiping his hand out and forcefully backhanding Tahu across the face, sending the Toa of Fire sprawling down onto the bed. 

"Kopaka!" Gali screamed, jumping forward and grasping the Ice Toa's arm. Kopaka turned to look at her, tears in his eyes. "I loved you," he whispered. Suddenly, a flame roared between them and Gali leaped back. Kopaka turned tersely to see Tahu, standing and furious. 

"You hit my face," Tahu said in a monstrous voice. 

"Oh, cry me a pond of Tarakava so I can freeze it over with you in it," Kopaka snarled. "What're you going to do about it?" 

"Simple." Tahu said, raising his hand and then casting a sharp flame around it. "I'm going to hurt you." 

Jerking his arm back, Tahu hurled a bolt of roaring magma at the Toa of Ice. Kopaka stopped it by freezing it in mid-air into pure ice, before redirecting it and shooting it towards Tahu. It melted into steam when it got two inches near the Toa of Fire. 

"You damaged my pride," Tahu was rambling. "You dared shout at me and struck me in front of Gali. Now I will show you... the strength I haven't even shown the Makuta." 

In the next instant, Tahu flared on the Pakari Nuva and charged forward, fire licking his arm and a dragons head of golden flame extending from his clawed fingers. Kopaka assumed a defensive stance and summoned the Hau Nuva- an instant too soon. Tahu struck just then, his fist colliding with the great force field of the Mask of Shielding- and throwing it back. Kopaka flew across the hut, force field with him, and smashed into the stone wall, breaking it and sending an avalanche of rubble falling down to bury him. 

"Tahu!" Gali screamed, this time lunging at the Toa of Fire to do something, anything, to stop him. He turned to Gali. Reaching out with the strength of the Pakari Nuva, he halted her by lifting his finger. 

Suddenly, a dagger of solid white ice shot forward and pierced his armor, and Tahu growled in rage. He clutched at the spike, able to melt it down so that it was barely translucent, but he could not liquefy it. 

"You're going to pay..." Kopaka snarled. 

"Me?" Tahu snapped. "I'm going to pay? Dream on, Toa of Snowflakes. You're going to regret you ever set foot in this hut... No, you're going to regret you ever left your canister." 

Freezing the air between his fingers, Kopaka made a quad of small, lethally sharp ice picks in each hand and threw them with incredible force at Tahu. The Fire Toa batted four of them away with his hand and then melted the other four in mid-air, before charging the Toa of Ice. Kopaka reacted with his own charge, only his demeanor was cold and calculative whereas Tahu was obviously infuriated. 

Tahu swung out with his fists, while Kopaka fluently dodged and reacted by sending out brief but powerful kicks at Tahu's shins and knees. Tahu stumbled backward, weakened from his legs, and growled incoherently, before summoning a blaze around his arm. Kopaka didn't take any time to rest or recover- instantly, he kicked up Tahu's mattress with his foot, vaulting the board into the air and making it a wall between the two, if only for the following second. In that second, though, Kopaka reached out with his hands and shot out a jet of frost and sleet that blasted straight through the bamboo and caught Tahu in the face and chest, throwing the Toa of Fire back. 

His recovery was almost immediate, though. Tahu sprung right back up to his feet, to find Kopaka was already charging and was barely more than three feet away, his arm drawn back in the air with a deadly blade of ice flailing behind it. Tahu was caught by surprise- he wouldn't be able to react in time to deflect or to dodge this attack. He felt his heartlight skip and his vision blurred. Then, the moment before the blade hit him, impact smashed against his chest and he fell down again, to glimpse a fleeting blue figure that rushed up to take his position- and the ice blade slitting against her chest. 

Tahu wanted to shout, but his throat was numb. Only the thought burned like a inferno in his mind: _Gali?_

The Toa of Water dropped to the ground on her side, the armor just above her chest pierced and gouged through by the ice blade, blood slowly leaking out. Standing beside her was Kopaka, the blade of ice he'd held now sprawled across the floor, thin drips of blood staining its edge. The expression on his face was one of utter shock, guilt, and shame, and his heartlight flashed rapidly. 

... 

"_GALI!"_


End file.
